


Ridikkulus!

by KeoProductions



Series: Ridikkulus! [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-08-15 10:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8052883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeoProductions/pseuds/KeoProductions
Summary: Kim Jongdae is the son of the most famous newspaper author in the Wizarding World. He's never been talented in controlling his magic, but with a once-in-a-lifetime offer to attend Hogwarts at his father's convenience, Jongdae has no desire to decline. The only condition to going there is to pretend to be your loving boyfriend -- how hard can it be?You, _____ Locke, come a family line of Hufflepuffs. It's only natural that you think you'll be placed in the same house as your siblings and parents. It's quite a shock when you're sorted into Slytherin instead!It's for this reason specifically that Jongdae was tasked to get close to you; so his father can have something interesting to write about to the rest of the world.





	1. Ridikkulus!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [randomxbluexcookie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomxbluexcookie/gifts).



> Hey guys! Thanks for being patient with me and waiting so long for this series… It’s going to have a slow start, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. :) Also, if you have any questions about the Harry Potter universe or the Reader’s family/role in the story, come and ask me!!

Locke. It’s your family name, and everyone in Hogwarts knows it. Your family is known for it’s long lasting lineage in Hufflepuff, as your mother and father were born in wizard families in Hufflepuff, and two of their three children are in it now.

“Here’s your cauldron, Miss Locke.” The shopkeeper smiles as she hands the giant thing to you. You can barely hold it in your arms with your other school supplies, so you clumsily shove everything else into it and hold it by the handles.

You walk back out into Diagon Alley and watch the other first years crowd around the window of the broom shop. Everyone is so excited to start flying, but there’s no point in dwelling on it when it’ll come later, so you walk right past them and head to the wand store.

The moment you walk in, the clerk’s head whips up and says, “Tell me your name.” You give it to them and they make a large u-turn before heading down an isle of stacked boxes. “Try this one. Say any spell.”

“Um..” You awkwardly hold the wand out, not sure which one to use. You don’t know many yourself, since your parents insisted on learning them all at Hogwarts instead of home. “Ridikkulus!” You had read of that one in a book sometime ago in your childhood, and it’s stuck with you since. The spell doesn’t have any effect unless you’re up against a boggart, but it’ll still create a blast of light on any other occasion.

And a blast of light it makes; the clerk covers their eyes and exclaims a “Aish! Don’t blind me!” before adding, “Okay, that’s your wand. ‘Should have known it was a Willow Tree, you look like the rest of your family.”

“You know my family?” You ask them as they lead you to the counter to pay. You fumble for your coins as they reply.

“I’m sure everybody knows the Lockes, young lady. All Hufflepuff, you are.”

You’re the last child of theirs to attend Hogwarts, and everyone already knows what house you’ll be sorted into. It was practically mandatory, for you to be in Hufflepuff, because if you weren’t, it’d be the talk of the school!

So when you finally get there, after a long wait on the train, you wait in line with about a hundred other anxious first years, and you feel that you’re the only one who’s calm. Even the other house’s tables were in an uproar, sitting on the edges of their seats in hope that the Sorting Hat puts the next kid in line with them.

It feels like forever before they reach you, and you nearly skip up the stool in relief before sitting down and putting on the Sorting Hat yourself.

Instantly, the first thing it says is, “You’re quite forceful, aren’t you?” then, “Oh, another Locke!”

Proudly, you find yourself smiling and thinking back to it, “You’ll put me where I’m supposed to be, right?”

The hat mumbles back, “Let me think, dear. I’m not sure you are who you think you are, or who you want to be..” This message is so vague and mysterious to you that you lose your smile. What does the hat mean, you’re not who you think you are?

You don’t have anything more to say, and after answering some of the hat’s questions, it shouts out its decision. You remove the hat, grinning from ear to ear at your older sister and brother at the Hufflepuff table, but their not smiling back. At first, you have no idea why, but then someone gently grabs your elbow and tugs you in the opposite direction.

And then it hits you, when the cheers rise up from the farthest table to the right, and your eyes glance over the green robes of the prefect who has your arm, that you were not put in Hufflepuff.

The Sorting Hat put you in the house of Slytherin.

 

 

 

 

“It’s a mistake, right?”

You had barely gotten the chance to set down your luggage at the foot of your bed when a black-haired Slytherin girl approached you, her slippery looking smile making you uncomfortable.

“What was?” You ask dumbly, because you know what she’s talking about.

“You’re supposed to be in Hufflepuff, _____ Locke.” She says, almost with disgust, before smiling a bit more. “But you’re a Slytherin. I hope you’ll be able to adjust. The name’s Yuri, by the way.”

She stops talking to you after that to start putting away her own things by the bed next to yours, and you know you’ll be seeing a lot of her since you’ll be sleeping next to each other. So, after you’ve both unpacked enough to relax for the night, you ask, “What year are you in?”

She seems shocked that you initiated conversation with her, before flopping onto her bed heavily and leaning on her elbow. “I’m a fourth year, like your older sister.” She says sweetly, but you can tell that she doesn’t like your sister at all. “I have a Slyhterin little brother the same age as your older brother, too.”

“Maybe they’ll get along.” You say hopefully, knowing full well that Slytherins never get along with anyone but other Slytherins. She snorts at the idea and lays back completely, closing her eyes.

“Well, since I’m your roommate and all, I guess you can come to me when you need advice. I doubt anyone else is going to offer time to someone born with Hufflepuffs.” She sneers, and you sit down on your bed silently, upset.

“There’s nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs.” You say defensively, and she looks at you in amusement.

“Defend them all you want, you’re a Slytherin now.” She shrugs, and you don’t want to start an argument on your first day here, with a fourth year nonetheless, so you change the subject.

“I can still make friends outside of Slytherin.” You declare boldly, and she sits up, interested in where this is going.

“Really?” She chortles, smirking slightly. “How many have you made already? None? No one wants to be around a weirdo like you.” She says it matter-of-factually, not as an insult, and that is what sets you off.

“I **_have_** made a friend, more than a friend, actually.” You state, crossing your arms smugly. She simply raises and eyebrow at you to continue. “I have a boyfriend, and his name is Jongdae.” You say, blurting the first name that came to your mind.

“Oh? Tell me more about him. What’s he look like?” She pries, obviously trying to catch you in your lie. You can’t let her, though, or else you’d be ashamed for life.

“He has brown hair, like my older brother, and the ends of his mouth curl up when he smiles.” Now you’re just spilling your ideals at her, but she seems to slowly believe you, so you keep going. “He’s a little taller than me, by a few inches, and he’s full of sass.”

At that, she drops her smile and looks you over carefully. “What year is he in? Yours?” You nod firmly, not giving anything you’re saying any real thought. “I don’t remember hearing his name during dinner, neither do I remember you being anywhere but here all day.” She says suspiciously.

“I met him in between those times.” You splutter, getting anxious in your spiral of lies. How did you get in this position?

“Are you lying? Because I’ll find out if you are. I’m going to go looking for him, and don’t tell me you’ve suddenly broken up when I don’t find him.” She says seriously, and you have nothing else to say other than “You’ll find him.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

You barely get time to admire the way you look in your new cloaks before Yuri is at your side and asking to meet Jongdae. “You know his schedule right? It has to be similar to yours, since you’re both first years.”

She stays on your tail all day, asking when she’s finally going to meet him, and you’re not sure if she’d doing this because she’s lonely, wants to catch you in your lie, or genuinely wants to meet him. But it doesn’t matter why, because he’s not actually real and she’ll realize it eventually.

Although Yuri pesters you every hour about your “boyfriend”, you can’t even be perturbed because of how amazing your classes are. Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic are your favorites, but Potions is the easiest of all of them.

You think your Slytherin Professor admires your natural ability to brew, but you can’t help but feel like he’s ostracizing you, too.

By your last class, when Yuri meets you at the door, and the other first years who aren’t a Slytherin steer clear of you two, she shoots you a coy smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Okay, I give up.” She says in disappointment, and you stare at her in confusion. “I really thought you just made this Jongdae boy up so you could impress me, which is why I tried so hard to meet him.” She says, shrugging in embarrassment and avoiding your eye. “But he’s real, so I’ll leave you alone about him, alright? But don’t expect me to stop talking to you at night, because I do actually want to be your friend.” She says calmly. “You interest me, _____ Locke.”

You blink at her a few times before stuttering. “W-Wait, what?”

She looks at you incredulously, face heating up. “I said I want to be your friend, you dimwit–”

“No, I mean, he’s not actually–”

“Hey, Locke!!” You whip your head around at the sound of your name, curious as to who would possibly be talking to you. You are an outcast, after all, and didn’t fit in either Hufflepuff or Slytherin. The Hufflepuffs avoid you because you were a Slytherin, while the Slytherins avoid you because of your strange family lineage.

Someone besides your teachers and Yuri talking to you was surprising, but seeing who it is was even more shocking. You stand there, rigid and wide-eyed as the man of your dreams saunters up to you, that curled smile on his face as he nears.

“Sorry I couldn’t see you all day, I thought I’d be able to make it to class, but something came up.” He shrugs shyly, cheeks tinting pink a little. He notices Yuri, and she immediately greets him.

“Hey, Kim.” She says, though not as politely as she greets you. “Am I in the way here?” And the question catches you off guard, because why would she be in the way?

“It’s not that you’re in the way, I’d just prefer some alone time with my girlfriend.” He says to her, winking at you playfully. Did he just call you his girlfriend?

**_His girlfriend?!_ **

“Hold on a minute–” You try, but Yuri cuts you off, mistaking your panic for shyness.

“Don’t worry about it, Locke! You can tell me ALL about it at the dorm.” She winks impishly and leaves before you can stop her, and this guy leans against the wall..

You watch her in silence as she trots up the stairs, heading for the Slytherin common room. Then you turn and stare at this stranger, who is waiting patiently for you to show a proper reaction to him. After a few minutes of standing there, the last Ravenclaw student has left the hallway and your hand wraps around your wand.

“Who are you?” You ask when you’re finally alone with him. You have your wand out, pointing straight at his chest. His eyes are wide, and he has his hands up like he’s innocent.

“Don’t act so cold, _____,” He says, keeping up his act. “It’s me, Jongdae, your boyfriend.” He drops his hands, even though you grow angrier, and it shows on your face.

“Cut the crap!” You yell, cheeks turning red with wrath. “I made him up! You must be using a-a spell or something!” He has to be, there isn’t any other explanation. He shakes his head, smiling warmly at you.

“You’re cute,” He says, laughing, and the ends of his lips curl up with his cheeks. “You almost look serious.” He kicks off the wall and ruffles your hair as he walks past you. You try to swipe his hand off, but he moves it away before you can. “See you in class, babe.”

And then he’s gone.


	2. My "Boyfriend"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’re enjoying the series so far. ;) Also, hopefully my cliffhanger worked. >~

****

You peer over your shoulder incredulously, gaining more strange stares from the Hufflepuff table than you are the Slytherin. Your “boyfriend” had come up to your end of the table and asked, “Can I sit with you?” and you really don’t know what to say.

“We’re not allowed to switch house tables.” You settle on, not sure if you want anything to do with this Jongdae guy. Your mind is still reeling at the possibility of this happening – you literally made up every speck of him, and yet here he is, looking down at you like a loving boyfriend.

“I already asked the Headmaster, he said it’s fine.” He tells you, not taking your hint and sitting down between you and the guy on your right. When the Slytherin shoots Jongdae a glare, he simply smiles at him and says, “Sorry, but I want to sit with my girlfriend.”

To your surprise, the Slytherin says nothing else, and pretends as if Jongdae wasn’t even there. You look at Yuri, who is sitting across the table from you, for help, but she finds it cute and is grinning from ear to ear.

“Aw, how romantic.” She directs at Jongdae, and his attention is brought back to you two. “Coming over here for your girlfriend.” Yuri is actually a heavy romantic, you came to find out in your conversation late last night. But she wouldn’t ever admit it, because she’s a Slytherin, and the other girls would laugh at her for it. (You wondered why she even told you, and she said, “You’re half Hufflepuff. I can forgive you.”)

Jongdae’s face turns red and he looks down bashfully at his food (which appeared out of nowhere, you realize). “I want to make up for my absense the other day.” He says, and if you hadn’t been totally creeped out by his existence, you would have thought it was cute.

“I’m fine.” You force a laugh, and you know he caught it. “You don’t have to be clingy about it.” You expect him to get offended or angry about it, but instead his eyes widen and his bottom lip juts out.

“I don’t mean to be,” He says sadly, and out of the corner of your eye you see Yuri glaring at you for being rude. (You’re ruining her fun, you guess.) “You’re just so beautiful, I want to make sure the other boys don’t try and steal you away.”

You blush, despite your best efforts not to, and you hear Yuri “awww” loudly. You scoff, wishing you hadn’t reacted that way and turn to your food, finding it better if you don’t say anything else.

Jongdae’s happy with this, though, and he happily makes conversation with Yuri while you shove food in your mouth, making sure there’s never an opportunity to be spoken to.

When you’re halfway through your meal, you hear Yuri ask, “So did she really ask you out after being Sorted? Why’d you say yes to a Slytherin?” Jongdae’s head perks up and he glances at you.

“Is that what she told you?” He asks, smiling cutely (damn him).

“What do you mean?” Yuri asks, shooting you a suspicious look, so you shrug.

“Yeah, she asked me out, then. And her house doesn’t mean anything to me.” Jongdae says, taking the first bite of his meal since he sat down. “It’s her personality that matters.” He grins at you, and you find yourself flushing again.

It’s only because he’s good-looking! You tell yourself. He’s literally the ideal you described to Yuri that first night, so of course it’s okay to think this, right?

He notices you staring a little longer than you should, and you swear he smirks at you, but when you blink, all you see is an innocent smile. You look away. There is definitely something strange about this whole thing…

…and you’re going to get to the bottom of it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Did you two have an argument?” The Headmaster asks you, and you can’t really blame him for suspecting it. You came in with your arms crossed and your face inhabited a scowl.

“No.” You say as politely as you can. No matter how put off by this you are, you still respect the Headmaster enough to be calm about it.

“Then I don’t understand why you’d ask **_me_** if your boyfriend is real.” He chuckles, jotting something down on a piece of parchment.

“I was just curious.” You feign a damsel in distress, making sure to bat your eyelashes more times than necessary. “Jongdae’s just too perfect to be real!” The Headmaster peers at you over his glasses for a moment. You smile at him prettily and he lets out a laugh.

“You should join our drama class.” He suggests, handing you a slip of paper. It has the room number and Professor name scrawled on it in messy handwriting. “Now, go to class and face your boyfriend, why don’t you? Whatever is going on between you two, you should talk about it like adults.” He says wisely, and you have no choice but to thank him and leave.

Well, so much for **_that_** plan. You were kind of hoping you were actually hallucinating, and that when you found out about it, you’d suddenly be cured and be a normal girl.

So much for that.

When you walk out of the Headmaster’s office, you startle when you see Jongdae waiting for you. He grins, the corners of his lips curling up and his eyes crinkling perfectly. “Hey, babe.” He greets you, leaning down to kiss your cheek.

You stop him, eyes wide at his forward behavior. “I don’t know you.” You say, then keep walking. He jogs to catch up, a laugh leaving his lips (ahh even his laugh is angelic).

“Are we still playing this game?” He asks, bunching up the middle of his robes nervously.

“What game?” You ask him coolly.

“You’re acting cold to me.” He pouts, nudging your arm. You turn to him awkwardly.

“I don’t know you.” You repeat, and he looks absolutely defeated. Well, great. What are you supposed to say to that? “Just kidding!” You grin, giving your biggest smile. He blinks at you in surprise. “Of course I know you, silly! I was just angry at you.” You turn and cross your arms, keeping up the act.

If he wants to act dumb, then two can play at that game.

“H-Huh?” He stutters. “For what?” He genuinely seems taken aback by your change in behavior, and you side glance at him before you reply sadly.

You pause, mind racing for an explanation. “Yuri got to see you before I did on the first day of school, and then you wouldn’t stop talking to her at lunch.” You blurt, and Jongdae double takes.

“You wouldn’t talk to me.” He defends himself, seeming to only be shocked by this entire conversation.

“Why can’t my boyfriend come and apologize?” What you said is complete bullshit. (Especially if you’re in the wrong.) (But you’re not, because you’re not the one pretending to be a love interest.) (Wait, actually you are, since you’re going along with it now.) (This is really  confusing.)

“You’re right.” He sighs, despite your expectations. “I’m sorry I didn’t show up on our first official day as a couple. But I promise I’ll be here for you from now on.”

You stare at him, then ask, “Where were you then?” He steps back.

“When?” He asks, pretending to have memory loss it seems.

“On the first day of school.” There’s a long pause, and you point your finger at him, smiling. “Ah-ha! I caught you! You don’t have an explan–”

“I was preparing something special.” He cuts you off, looking a little bothered. “Your birthday is coming up, so I wanted to do something for you.” You blink at him speechlessly. “I didn’t want to have to do it the day before or of, so I got it over with then.” He ducks his head in dismay. “It was going to be a surprise.” He mumbles.

Okay. What in the actual heck? Is he serious right now? For one, he is such a good actor that you almost believe him. You think maybe you just accidentally blocked out the entire meeting scene from your memory or something.

But that can’t be the case! Like Yuri, you don’t even remember his name being called during the sorting, and neither do you remember seeing him in Diagon Alley OR the trainride here.

You sigh in defeat, unable to handle his sad looks anymore. “Alright, fine, whatever.” You throw your hands in up in the air, and he lifts his head up. “I’m your girlfriend, and you’re my boyfriend, so we can’t fight forever, right?” You stand akimbo, a single eyebrow raised at him as he stares.

“Right.” He smiles, and the sad Jongdae is completely gone. It happened so fast, you wonder if it was ever even there.

“You bounce quick.” You comment, and he seems uncomfortable before he nudges your arm again.

“Well, it’s still kind of a surprise, since you don’t know what it is.” He says cheekily, and you frown at him.

“You’re actually getting me a present?” You ask him, bewildered.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?” He asks, amused, but your frown only deepens.

“I don’t know your birthday.” He shrugs and waves it off.

“It doesn’t matter.” And before you can say that it really does, he adds, “We’re going to get in trouble if we’re any later to Potions.” And your eyes widen in fear.

“Oh no!” Unconsciously, you grab his hand and start dragging him down the hallway. “We have get there and hope Professor Lei doesn’t notice!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Jongdae’s P.O.V_

“Can I sit with you?” He asks, and he knows you’re caught off guard at his approach. Good. He smiles, more so because his plan is working rather than to keep up an act.

“We’re not allowed to switch house tables.” You reply after getting over your shock.

“I already asked the Headmaster, he said it’s fine.” He says, making room for him in between you and a Slytherin boy. He glares at Jongdae, but he manages to ease the tension by claiming his girl. The Slytherin seems to understand the rules of courtesy and ignores him  from then on.

Your friend, Yuri, is a chatterbox, and constantly keeps him in conversation, much to his relief. He has back-up topics to bring up in case he’s left in charge of the conversation, but he’s glad he doesn’t have to use them just yet.

You keep glancing at him while you eat, and at first he thinks it’s because you’re still weirded out by him. That is, until you stare a little too long, and he realizes that you’re checking him out.

He can barely conceal his smirk before you notice it, and he forces a cute smile onto his face before you look away.

“Aw, how romantic.” Yuri directs at Jongdae, and his attention is brought back to her. “Coming over here for your girlfriend.” He thinks of something shameful, causing a blush to spread across his face and he looks down bashfully.

“I want to make up for my absense the other day.” He murmurs, keeping up his boyfriend act. It completely convinces Yuri, but not you. You turn to look at him, face full of I-Know-You-Are-Full-Of-Shit.

“I’m fine.” You laugh roughly, and he knows you’re forcing it. Jongdae realizes that no one, not even Yuri, believes that you’re actually single. His act is so well played, you’re once again estranged. “You don’t have to be clingy about it.” You add suddenly, and his jaw twitches in annoyance.

Oh, so you’re going to make him look like the bad guy, now?

He hangs his head sorrowfully and whispers, “I don’t mean to be.”  When he sees that you’re about to keep pressing it, he says, “You’re just so beautiful, I want to make sure the other boys don’t try and steal you away.”

Bam. Right on target.

He guesses he has a girl who’s not used to compliments, because you blush instantly and gape at him in shock. He nearly laughs at how easy it is to act, but makes sure to keep himself in check. Without saying anything, you look away from him, utterly speechless.

A little later, Yuri asks him why he decided to date a Slytherin. Of course, Jongdae doesn’t give her the real answer. He spouts something about how houses don’t matter to him, exactly what a girl his age would like to hear. It seems to affect the both of them, because you’re blushing again, and Jongdae can’t help but smile this time.

If only you knew why he was in this position, but if you did, nothing would go as planned.

Jongdae was going to have to pretend to be your boyfriend until you accepted it fully, confessing your deepest secrets and sharing everything with him.

Only then will he complete his father’s mission.


	3. It's Just An Act

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha all of my Harry Potter fans must know that first years are all, like, 12 years old, so this romance is literally wrong (to me, at least). If it helps, just imagine them older (like I do) while reading. i hope i didn’t ruin this haha

“Is this it?” You ask the air, but Jongdae hums in answer since he decided to tag along. You have no classes today, since it’s the weekend, so you decided to go and check out the drama room.

You didn’t originally want to bring Jongdae along, but when you were leaving the Slytherin common room, he was standing outside waiting for you (“I wanted to spend the day together!” He said with that perfect damn smile.) and Yuri was watching from afar, so you had to accept and bear it.

“So why the drama club?” He asks curiously, holding the door open for you and you thank him as you walk by. The room is huge, containing its own stage and theater, which is awesome. You nearly forget to answer to Jongdae’s question, until he comes up and links his arm in yours.

“The Headmaster suggested it.” You say quickly, trying to take your arm back subtly but he won’t let you. “Hey–”

“Oh, students.” A woman’s voice cuts you off and you both turn your heads to it, suddenly noticing a woman on the stage you swear wasn’t there before. “May I ask why you’re here?”

“Uh,” Jongdae looks at you when you look at him, and then you turn back to the woman. “I was curious about the drama class being held here?”

“WE were, she means.” Jongdae adds, and you look at him incredulously.

“Great! Are you looking to join? We only have two more open spots left, anyway.” The two of you walk closer to the stage so you don’t have to keep yelling across the room, and the more you near the woman the more beautiful she looks.

She isn’t flawless, of course. There are the prominent features of her high forehead and round nose, but it didn’t make her look ugly at all – in fact, you’ll even say it makes her looks better. It seems to go hand-in-hand with her curvy figure and shorter stature.

“Yes, please.” You say when you’re standing right in front of her feet, and she smiles down at the two of you pleasantly.

“Well, come on up here, then. I can’t accept you unless you show me you can act!” She winks. The two of you scramble to the top of the stage, only realizing there was a staircase to the side after Jongdae helped you up.

The professor steps back a few yards and watches you two patiently, waiting.

“Hold on, we have to just make something up on the spot?” You ask her bewilderedly.

“Yep! It’s called improv, as in "improvise”. We’ll be doing it a lot in my class– err, more of a club– if you join us.“ You look at Jongdae in slight horror and hesitation, and he shares the same look.

* * *

_Jongdae’s P.O.V_

Acting as your boyfriend is one thing; he’s practiced and studied the boyfriend role before he’s even met you, so it’s easy for him, but coming up with something on the spot is beyond his prowess.

He stares at you, waiting for you to start, but you look just as lost as he feels. Finally he sighs, closing his eyes and preparing himself for a whole lot of fail.

When he opens his eyes again, you’re glaring at him sharply. "Why did you bring me here?” Your acting is too believable, because he flinches at your tone and he looks at you wide-eyed.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” He stutters. He remembers clearly that **_you_** came here of your own will.

“I don’t belong here; no one will accept someone like me.” You place your fist on his chest and lean forward, your brow forming a severe crease between your eyes. “I’m different, and no matter how many times I try to fit in, I’ll always be an outcast. The second thought. The one who comes last, because I’m not in one group or the other – I’m by myself.”

He sees the tears threatening to fall, and Jongdae genuinely wonders if your acting has an underlying truth behind it. Your words can easily be tied to your Hufflepuff heritage, so Jongdae decides to play along as best he can, because you gave him the perfect opportunity to do his job:

Be your boyfriend.

“You’re not an outcast.” He whispers softly, and he sees your body tense at his words. “And you’re not by yourself, Locke.” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the professor move a bit closer to hear him. Suddenly, he grabs your hand on his chest and squeezes it, making sure you’re looking him in the eye as he says,

“You have me.”

* * *

_Your P.O.V_

When a tear slips down your cheek, he pulls you into an loving embrace and holds you tightly. You gasp lightly, remembering that this is just an act before holding him back.

For now, you’ll forgive him for touching you so intimately.

You hear clapping from the other side of him and when you two pull apart, you find the professor beaming. "Good job.” She strides proudly to where you guys are now awkwardly standing next to each other and holds out her hand.

Jongdae takes it first and shakes it, smiling. It looks strained and forced. “Thank you. My name is Kim Jongdae.” He introduces, glancing at you when you thank her, too.

“So we’re in?” You ask her, wiping at your cheeks to rid of its wetness. Something heavy is sitting in your chest, because you think that act was too close to how you really feel.

“Yep! Congratulations. You two are the first students to get in on the first audition.” Jongdae gapes at her, obviously impressed with himself. “That’s something, since most of the club members are older.” Then she holds her hand out to you, and you shake it. “Call me Professor Keo, won’t you?”

“Okay. I’m–”

“I know who you are.” Professor Keo cuts you off, smiling a sympathetically. It makes your insides turn uncomfortably. “You’re a Locke, right? I’m good friends with your parents.” Your eyes widen in surprise, the uncomfortable feeling dying and replaced with genuine shock. “You look just like them.” She chuckles, amused at your reaction.

“Do you know my parents?” Jongdae asks her hopefully, and she looks at him for a minute, before shaking her head.

“I don’t think I do.. Kim, right? I can’t recall any from my days as a student…” Jongdae seems to expect this, though, and nods with a  solemn smile.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Eh?? You joined the drama club?!” Yuri splutters over her mouthful of mashed potatoes and gravy. You lean back in your seat, hoping to avoid any bits that flew out.

“Uhh, yes, why?” You ask her, handing her a napkin. She takes it, mumbling something about “still being a Hufflepuff” before replying.

“I’M in the drama club, that’s why.” For a second, she looks at you through the corner of her eye, almost looking smug. “Did you join because you want to follow in my footsteps?” Before you can tell her that’s not why, she throws her hands up in joy. “You’re so cute! Fine, I’ll take you under my wing, Locke!” She stabs her fork in your direction. “Just remember to call me Master Yuri!”

You roll your eyes at her in disbelief. “I am **_not_** calling you that.” You say, and you hear Jongdae laugh from beside you. You nearly forgot he was there, since he joined you so casually. (That Slytherin boy from before didn’t say anything this time.)

“It was only banter…” Yuri grumbles, unpleased with your unwillingness to play along. “But Jongdae, too? Are you two interested in that sort of thing?” You take a gander at him, peering at him suspiciously.

“I wanted to join because the Headmaster said I’d be good at it.” You admit quietly. “But I’m not sure about him.” You say coldly.

“I just want to be with my girlfriend.” He says, avoiding your eyes and pushing around the food on his plate. Yuri sighs elatedly at his words while you turn away in suppressed horror.

Is he going to follow you around from now on?! Then, like a bullet, something stands out to you, and it’s so glaringly there that you can’t help the smirk that reaches your lips.

“Hey, Kim..” You say, gaining his rapt attention. “You’re an awfully good actor.” He seems put off by your statement (or your expression), so you continue. “In fact, you handled that improv session so well, I think you can handle almost any situation you’re in pretty nicely.”

“Ah, th-thank you, Locke.” He stutters, seeming very trapped in his seat all of a sudden. Yuri looks from him to you curiously, wondering why you’re talking so strangely.

“I bet you could even pretend to be someone’s boyfr–”

“Oh! I just remembered! There’s something I need to grab back at the dorm.” Jongdae interrupts conveniently, and though your scowl shows your obvious detest, he leans down and kisses your cheek before you can stop him. “I’ll see you later, babe.” He smiles frantically before scampering off.

You watch him run off with his tail between his legs before you hear Yuri sigh irritably. You turn to her in surprise. “What’s wrong?” You ask her worriedly.

“He is such a good guy, _____.” She tells you, motioning towards the exit. “But you treat him like he’s not really your boyfriend.” When she looks at you skeptically, you hastily return the look and cross your arms.

“Are you eying my man?” You ask defensively, and she blinks in horror.

“ ** _Ew. Never._** ” She exclaims loudly, making a few heads turn. “Not only is he a ** _Hufflepuff_** , but he’s also like, **_three years_** younger than me, Locke!” She shivers and hunches her back, like she might barf, and you burst out laughing.

“I get it, sorry.” You say, leaning your head on your palm in satisfaction since she backs off.

“Why aren’t you that possessive when he’s around?” She asks, though, and you blush, the mere thought of it making you shy.

“H-He doesn’t need to see me like that.” You settle on, not wanting to say that you don’t want to show affection because you don’t actually like him.

“Sure he does! Or else he’ll feel discouraged!” Yuri argues. “Or sad. Either is bad, unless you want him to leave you.” You fake a depressed expression, sagging your shoulders to look like you feel guilty.

“I don’t want that.” You say, and it comes out easier than you thought it would. Are you getting used to lying, or…?

“Then go and apologize to him after dinner!” She orders, and when you open your mouth to protest, she bends over the table and covers it in a flash. “No ‘but"s, just go!”

As if on cue, the Headmaster sends you all off when he sees no one is eating anymore (you barely touched your food because you talked so much). Yuri watches you like a hawk until you make a show of heading towards the Hufflepuff common room.


	4. I'm The Legendary Farter, Please Step Back and Admire My Fragrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide that maybe Jongdae isn't so flat after all and go out of your way to let him know you won't be rude to him anymore. His reaction isn't what you're expecting, and the gift you receive from your parents isn't what you're expecting either...

Great.

Now you have to apologize for something that’s not even your fault,  ** _and_**  you get the reward of being gawked at by the many passing Hufflepuff students.

People crowd around the painting and you, complaining that they can’t go in if you’re near (because you’ll overhear the password). Meekly, you tell them that you want to see your boyfriend.

“You mean Kim Jongdae?” A girl in your year steps in front of everyone, and you remember her name is Joy. You nod gingerly and she moves people aside to go to the painting. “Open up.” She says, making your group of onlookers gasp (and you) in shock.

“What’s the password?” The painting whispers back. It’s a picture of a man with a crooked nose next to a crooked house with his crooked cat. (You vaguely remember a poem about him from pre-school.)

“I’m the Legendary Farter, please step back and admire my fragrance.” She says valiantly, even though the sentence is absurd. She steps in and disappears for a minute as the painting moves closed. From the other side, you hear her yell, “ _JONGDAE!! YOUR GIRLFRIEND WANTS TO SEE YOU!!_ ”

You face-palm, mortified, before aggravated noises come closer to the painting, and the next thing you know, Jongdae appears in the doorway.

He doubles takes, seeming genuinely surprised to see you here waiting for him. “Locke? What do you need?” He asks, stepping out with Joy on his tail. During this, the Hufflepuff students all file in to the common room until it’s just you three.

“I came to tell you something..” You say warily, glancing at Joy, who seems adamant on staying for the conversation. Jongdae picks up on your reluctance and faces Joy, standing akimbo.

“Could you not?” He asks, rather rudely in fact, but she doesn’t look offended.

“I’m just curious to see if it’s real.” She shrugs, and your brow furrows in confusion.

“See if what’s real?” You question, and Jongdae crosses his arms, an unpleasant expression his face.

“It’s not important.” He mutters, and you have a feeling that it is.

“I want to know why the heck a Slytherin is dating a Hufflepuff.” Joy tells you bluntly, and you gape at her speechlessly. “Specifically  ** _this_**  Hufflepuff, because not even  ** _we_**  hang out with Jongdae. We all avoid him.”

You look at Jongdae for a denial, but he stubbornly glares at the floor. When you don’t say anything – because what are you supposed to say? – he turns to Joy again and says, “Well, as you can see, my girlfriend is real. Will you give us some privacy?”

Joy looks you over once more, frowns at Jongdae, then strides into the common room without another word.

“What do you need?” He reiterates immediately after, seeming less than joyful (no pun intended).

“I…” You came here to say sorry for not treating him like a real boyfriend, but now that you think about it, you haven’t been treating him like an actual  _ **person**._  You never considered his feelings or life, yet he always seems to be worried about yours.

“If you ever want to hang out, you can just ask me.” You say instead, shrugging nonchalantly and looking to the side. Jongdae looks at you in confusion, not sure where this is going. “You don’t have to take my classes and join the same club as me to do that.” You don’t want to say any more, but he’s still at a loss.

You grunt in annoyance, turning around and holding your hair. “Jongdae, you’re my boyfriend, right? Come to me if you’re lonely! Don’t just use our relationship as an excuse to talk to someone.” You turn around to gouge his reaction, expecting his previous scowl.

But he just looks sad, and confused for some reason. “I-I don’t get you.” He says, shaking his head. “I thought you didn’t like me?” You honestly feel bad for making him feel that way, but what can he expect when he forces you into an unplanned relationship? (And the fact that he’s your ideal type has nothing to do with it.)

“I don’t get it either.” You confess, and this only boggles him more, so you explain. “But I wasn’t even thinking about you, just me. I wasn’t treating you like a human being, Kim.”

“Where are you going with this?” He asks, seriously searching your eyes for an answer.

“I’m… sorry.” You mumble. He’s silent, still staring at you in confusion. “I’m sorry.” You repeat louder, in case he didn’t hear.

“I heard you.” He says, losing his anger, sadness, and bewilderment. “I’m just.. now what?” You shrug, also not knowing what the future has in store.

“I guess… we go on normally.” You say awkwardly, before pointing a finger at him perturbedly. “But no more acting, okay? Yuri thinks you’re some prince charming when I know you’re not that perfect.” He looks like he wants to argue, but you cut him off to add, “And don’t kiss me.”

At this, he laughs, and it knocks you off guard so much you physically step back. Even though you’ve been trying to get him off your back since you’ve met him, his good looks and angelic laughter have always made you blush.

Still chuckling, he holds out his hand languidly. “Deal.” You reach out to shake it, but he pulls it away for a second. “Only if you promise to be real with me from now on.” You squint your eyes at him, and he adds a sheepish “Please?” before you sigh and nod your head.

Then, he grabs your hand firmly and shakes it.

“So we’re official now.” You state, and his eyes widen.

“Huh? Don’t say that..” His face turns a cute shade of pink and you giggle, not letting go of his hand when he tries to take it back. He splutters, turning more red and you laugh aloud.

“Aww, are you shy?” You tease, finally releasing him. He doesn’t hide his sigh of relief before collecting himself a little (but he’s still red). “Is that real, or fake?” You ask curiously, observing him.

“Real.” He replies softly.

“What about the other Hufflepuffs?” You ask, and he looks distant again, so you grab his arm. “Is what Joy said real, or fake?” He gives you a long, thoughtful stare before answering.

“Real.”

 

 

 

 

“Are you two… alright?” Yuri asks hesitantly at breakfast the next day, directing it mostly at Jongdae. “You don’t even look at each other any more.”

Jongdae stays silent, picking at his food and letting you take charge of the situation (much to your annoyance). You shoot Yuri a sickeningly sweet smile and say, “Yeah, we’re feeling peachy.” There must have been sarcasm in your voice, because Jongdae looks at you sharply.

“Locke is looking really nice today, Yuri. I wanted to tell her when we were alone, but now you ruined the surprise.” Yuri blinks at him in astonishment and guilt, and apologizes profusely to him before blushing jealously in your direction. You grin at her, winking and she sighs in defeat because she can no longer accuse you of ignoring him.

You all go back to eating in silence, but it’s not quiet, since the hall is full of chattering students. Then you realize what Jongdae said.

You look at him in shock, cheeks turning a bright shade of pink, and when he sees you staring, he turns to you. Your wide eyes and mad blush must have startled him, because he looks alarmed. “What?” He asks, and the surprise is evident.

“You think I look nice today?” You whisper to him, so Yuri can’t eaves drop (though she can definitely see you leaning closer for him to hear). You don’t understand why you would, since you’re wearing your normal cloak and clothes. “Real or fake?” You add when he doesn’t immediately respond.

“Oh, that? Fake.” He smirks, realizing why you reacted so weirdly and you blush out of embarrassment now. He notices Yuri watching you two, and he teasingly ruffles your hair.

You force a smile.

 

 

 

 

_Jongdae’s P.O.V_

It’s obvious to Jongdae that you hate interacting with him, but why did you call a sort-of-truce last night, then? Were you just pitying him (no doubt), or were you being serious when you said he could hang around you without worrying?

 _Not that I care_ , he tells himself. _I’m only her boyfriend because of my dad._ Oh, speak of the devil.

Just as he thinks this, a wave of messenger owls come flying into the hall, gliding down to their owners and nuzzling their beaks at them affectionately.

Jongdae holds out his own arm, and a second later his father’s completely black night owl latches on steadily. Attached to its leg is a small piece of paper, no doubt that it has questions asking about his progress.

“Oh wow! My parents sent me something!” Jongdae’s head turns to you, and he double takes when he sees your owl perched on your shoulder. It’s a strange, white feathered bird with the faintest traces of yellow on its tips. Something in Jongdae’s mind makes him think, “typical Hufflepuff colors”.

“What did you get?” Yuri asks excitedly, then she clears her throat and asks again, but less bubbly. After all, the other Slytherins at the table are watching the three of them closely.

“I’m not.. sure, actually.” You say, concealing it by holding it under the table. The only person who can see it besides you is Jongdae, because he’s leaning so close to peer at it.

“That looks like a love ball.” He says boredly when he realizes it’s not interesting, but you look at him with curiosity, so he explains. “I don’t know much about it, but I read somewhere that it turns specific colors when you’re around people you know.” He eyes you suddenly, then glances at your owl. “Do you have the instruction paper?”

“Oh– yeah.” You hastily finish unwrapping your mail and find the small square paper with the ball’s color meanings. You scan the paper, and sometime between your fumbling and now, Yuri had made her way around the long table and was now standing behind you.

“Read it.” She ushers, and you start.

“Hold the ball out in the palm of your hand and think of someone you know. Find out how you feel about them with this color guide: Red means hate, Yellow means distrust, Blue means friendship, Green means neutral, and Pink means love.”

Jongdae, at this point, stops listening, because it’s just as he predicted. A toy for lovesick girls who have way too much time in their hands.

“Think of me, think of me!” Yuri giggles, and Jongdae watches as you hold the ball between your palms and stare at it. A moment later, it turns a misty blue color, and Yuri’s jaw drops. “Aww, Locke! You consider me your friend!” Yuri makes an overjoyed sound and hugs you, making you laugh at her excitement before she pulls back. “Think of someone else.” She says.

“But who..?” You lift an eyebrow at her.

“Anyone! Just think of someone else.” Yuri replies back.

“I wonder if I can think of myself…” You joke, then wait for the ball to return to its original murky gray color before focusing on someone in your head. After a moment, it turns yellow.

“You don’t trust yourself?” Jongdae chuckles, and you shoot him a look.

“I wasn’t actually thinking of myself.” You tell him, and from the look on your face, he knows you were really thinking of him. Yuri begs you to tell her who you thought of, but you (thankfully) keep to yourself. Breakfast ends shortly after this, and Yuri walks you both to the library, since Jongdae prompted he wanted to go there.

“I have some homework I need to finish, you guys.” Yuri says once you’re there, and Jongdae watches you look at her in shock. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not lying! Fourth year is a lot busier than first year.” And before you can beg her to stay, she leaves.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” You turn on him, crossing your arms. He simply smiles at you, lifting his eyebrow in amusement.

“No, but I don’t mind spending time with just you.” You flush, wondering if he’s just acting sweet again. He laughs, walking inside to leave you guessing what’s real and what’s not, before you follow after him.


	5. Love Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae realizes he has no news for his dad and does his best to get some, but his pockets end up full of useless information that he, for some reason, ends up caring about more than his mission.

_Jongdae’s P.O.V_

After leading you around aimlessly in the library, occasionally picking out a book to read sometime later, Jongdae realized that he was actually enjoying himself.

Now that you aren’t trying to get under his skin, you’ve been fun to be around. You’re smart, funny, and really easy going. (Not to mention cute, but he won’t tell you that without saying he’s joking.) He almost forgets that he’s acting as your boyfriend, until you bring it up.

At this point, the both of you have found a quiet corner in the library, sheltered by many shelves and invisible to anyone walking in, to sit down and chat more personally. You were just fiddling with the pages of a book when you ask him, “Why did you pretend to be MY boyfriend?”

It catches him off guard and he stammers. “Wh-Why are you asking that now?” You look up at him, cheeks dusted in pink and a furrowed brow.

“If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t.” You say, closing the book in your lap and setting it on the shelf. “I said I’d treat you like a human being, remember?”

Jongdae does, and he appreciates that because it makes his mission a whole lot easier. “I don’t want to answer that.” He confirms, and you nod in reluctant understanding.

The rest of your time together is spent in what you think is mindless babbling, and though Jongdae’s trying his best to find the clues he needs, he doesn’t get anything better than your favorite food, color, and subject. Or how you like mornings better than evenings, and how you hate Chocolate Frogs.

All things that are pointless for his mission, but Jongdae tells himself that it’s okay. That this is all part of his plan of fooling you, when really he’s just fooling himself.

Jongdae shouldn’t care about what you do in your free time, or what you think about when you daydream, but he finds it so enticing. He doesn’t want to stop learning about you, and he doesn’t know why. Why does he like it when you laugh at his jokes? Or when he catches you staring a little longer than you should? Or when you say his name?

These are all things he wants the answer to, but he can’t just ask them. He thought about doing it (asking you), but realized he felt embarrassed for some reason. If he did, it meant admitting that he was paying attention to you, and that would only make you feel smug. He knows it.

So he’s by himself, and when the dinner bell rings, the both of you realize you missed lunch together and are starving. “Come on,” He  prompts, standing up and holding out his hand for you. You take it and he pulls you up, then keeps your hand in his and stares at you.

You blush, not understanding why and he just grins, enjoying your reactions to him before letting go and leading you out of the library. When you walk by the librarian, Jongdae spots his classmate, Do Kyungsoo, and wonders when the last time he saw him was. He kind of disappeared in and out of the hall, and he never saw him in class.

“Hi Kyungsoo.” You wave at him, surprising Jongdae and even Kyungsoo. When he recognizes you, he grins the happiest grin Jongdae’s ever seen on someone and he waves back, holding up his book to you. You give him a thumbs up before walking out with Jongdae.

“You know him?” Jongdae asks, finding his mood spiralling downwards very quickly.

“Sort of. We met on the train ride here and shared the same car.” You smile at the memory, and Jongdae starts frowning. “He’s a music major, and that book he was checking out is called Rifi’s Collection of–”

“I don’t care about him.” Jongdae cuts you off irritably. Why is he suddenly acting like this?

“Then why did you ask?” You shoot back, and Jongdae doesn’t reply, because why did he? Why is he annoyed that you called that boy by his first name, yet you only refer to him as Kim?

_Dear Jongdae,_

_How are your classes? I know I sent you to Hogwarts on a mission, but you’re still keeping your grades up, I hope? I’ll keep this short, so you have time for studying afterwards._

_Have you figured out what happened to _____ Locke’s real parents?_

_Tell me what you know so far._

Jongdae physically smacks the palm of his hand on his forehead, upset with himself for being so behind. He can’t tell his dad that your favorite color is periwinkle because it was the color of your baby blanket, or that you eat your pizza with a fork. Not only because he would  ** _never_**  tell anyone you eat pizza with a fork, because that’s weird, but because his dad would be disappointed in him for not figuring something out by now.

He’s had lots of time, and if he didn’t care about you at all, he’d be able to ask you directly.

But that’s the problem; Jongdae does care about you, he realizes. Even though you tried to get him off your back when you first met, Jongdae forgives you for it because it’s a normal reaction to finding out someone’s claimed to be your romantic partner without consent. But now you’re treating him like a friend, and Jongdae finds himself going red when he realizes he’s upset about that, too, because he’s supposed to be your boyfriend, and if you’re treating him like a friend then you aren’t telling him everything he needs to know.

“Are you okay?” He’s brought out of his thoughts by none other than his life’s struggle: You.

“Yeah, I’m just.. stressed.” He mumbles to you, ignoring his fast beating heart when he sees you’re concerned. You glance at the letter in his hand before shoveling a forkful of pizza in your mouth, and he just smirks at you in amusement. “Why do you eat it like that?” He asks as you start cutting off another piece.

“It’s not as messy, and it doesn’t get all over my mouth.” You say, forking in another bite. Jongdae shakes his head at you laughing, folding up his dad’s letter and putting it in the pocket of his cloak.

“Let me show you how it’s done, babe.” He says, lifting up his dinner for the first time and taking a large bite on the smallest end. You watch in horror as the cheese stretches, and when it breaks it sticks to his chin. “The messiness is the  ** _fun_**  part.” He says through a mouthful of cheese.

“It’s the  ** _worst_**  part. Do you even have a napkin?” You ask, scanning his plate for one.

“That’s what sleeves are made for.” He shrugs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Firstly, no it’s not, and secondly, that is worse.” You throw a napkin in his lap so he can clean up his hand, and even though he uses it, you don’t miss the teasing smirk on his face. “Oh,” You exclaim, reaching out with your hand. “You missed a spot.”

Gently, you hold his cheek and slide your thumb across the corner of his lips. You see him inhale sharply and feel his cheeks grow hot under your fingers.

You pull away, surprised that you did that without thinking and you quickly pick up a napkin to wipe your hand but he grabs your wrist, stopping you.

“Wait, don’t waste it.” He demands, and you flush.

“You want me to eat it?” You ask, absolutely mortified, and you watch him laugh at your reddening cheeks.

“No,” He chuckles, bringing your hand to his lips. “I meant _I’LL_ eat it.” He licks his bottom lip first, slowly dragging it as his gaze moves from your eyes to your finger. Then he sticks out his tongue, tickling the pad of your thumb as it slides across it, and cleans it in one swipe. Then he drops your wrist and says, “You can’t waste cheese.”

Your face is probably comparable to a tomato right now, because your head feels so hot you start to get dizzy. You continue gaping at him in shock until you hear Yuri clear her throat.

“You two are cute and all, but please keep in mind that I’m single and alone and I’m kind of salty for you stealing my friend, Jongdae.” She says, pointing at him with her pizza before biting into hungrily. You cringe at her, too, before deciding it’s best if you stop looking at everyone eat and finish your own meal.

You almost make it to the end when Jongdae calls your name. “Locke,” You look up at him, immediately blushing when you see he’s dirtied his face again. You quietly hand him a napkin before saying, “What?” He takes it, cleaning his mouth before continuing. “Can I see your love ball?”

“Um, sure.” You dig into your cloak pocket and hand it to him (after instructing that he can’t eat while holding it). “Did you want to try it?”

“Yeah, I want to see if it works.” When it’s resting in his palms, he thinks about his dad first. As he expected, it turns a foggy blue, meaning friendship. Jongdae smiles, pleased, and thinks of someone else. He thinks of Do Kyungsoo, and the ball immediately turns a misty yellow, meaning distrust. He feels guilty for this one, because he doesn’t even know the guy, but Jongdae swears he looked a little too happy to see you in the library today.

“Think of me.” Yuri chimes in, grinning now that she can finally join in the conversation, and Jongdae obliges, already knowing what color will come out. It turns a murky green, meaning neutrality, and Yuri sits back in her seat with a pout. “I thought we were friends, Jongdae.” She says, and he laughs.

“It must be funky.” He reassures her, and she seems to feel better about it.

“No way, think of someone else.” You tell him, and once it returns to it’s natural gray color, he thinks of you.

The three of you gasp at the same time, but you and Yuri both speak before he can. “Who is it?!” The ball, he curses, turned pink.

He shoves it into your hands and turns back to his food, cheeks flushed and brow furrowed. “I was right, it **_is_** funky.” Yuri looks positively disappointed there wasn’t any juicy details, and you look at your ball with a frown.

“It can’t be broken, I just got it.” When it returns to its normal gray, you think of Jongdae to see if it really is, and when it turns pink, you toss it to Yuri in horror. “You can have it.” You tell her, and as Jongdae finishes his pizza, the tables clear and dinner is over.

The both of you excuse yourselves and run out of the hall in opposite directions, and Yuri curiously looks down at the love ball. She thinks of you, and when it turns a murky blue, her brow furrows in bewilderment. “It’s not broken…” She mumbles to herself, pocketing it and walking out by herself.


	6. Doing What's Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jongdae's relationship escalates quickly today through another improv act you put together in Professor Keo's class. Jongdae finally realizes what he's feeling inside and acts on it.

Professor Keo’s class this Saturday is tough. Before, you and Jongdae had come after her lesson was over, so you didn’t get to see the strenuous work in person. The first thing she puts you all through is an improv test, coming up with a situation and making you act it out with a partner.

Yuri is paired up with a fourth year – your sister! You didn’t know she was in this club, too. – and they’re forced to be Muggles who just met at a laundry mat (which is a public place Muggles go to wash their clothes, your Professor explains when you ask).

After nearly every person in your class has gone, your Professor claps for them and turns to you and Jongdae. “Oh my, I forgot to introduce you, pardon me!” She exclaims feeling flustered, before she gives your names to everyone. “Will you two reenact the scene you showed me during your audition? It was quite the show.” She smiles, but it falters when she sees your awkward expressions. “Or you can do improv, I don’t mind.” She says.

“Improv, please.” Jongdae says behind you, and when you look at him, you realize he’s blushing. He must be just as embarrassed with that improv scene as you are.

“Does anyone have a prompt for them?” Professor Keo asks the class, and hands immediately fly into the air to be called on. “You, what do you want to see?” She calls on someone in the middle.

“I want to see them cry.” They say sadistically, and your professor immediately laughs at the idea.

“You’re saying that because they’re first years, aren’t you?” She asks, shaking her head with amusement as the Slytherin male blushes in embarrassment. “You’ll be surprised! Tears are what got them into this class, so you know.” She winks at you encouragingly, but you falter.

That act wasn’t completely an act the first time. You had taken those feelings and words straight from your heart, and you didn’t feel like bearing it all again.

But Jongdae has something else in mind, and he automatically looks the crowd. “Can we have a volunteer join us?” He asks, and with the professor’s approval, Jongdae chooses a Gryffindor male  in the second year to stand next to you before he balls his hands into fists and glares headily at you.

You aren’t prepared for it at all, and you step back and bump into the Gryffindor’s chest in surprise. His hands gently catch your shoulders when Jongdae advances on you, a deep crevice between his furrowed brows.

“Why?!” He bellows, causing the entire room to fall in a hush. “Why now, after all of this time?” Jongdae looks absolutely livid, and you’re not sure what makes you do it, but you raise your hand and slap him across the face.

He blinks in shock, and so do you, before he looks at you again with pained tears in his eyes. You instantly square your shoulders and stand akimbo, returning his glare.

“How dare you talk to your mother that way? I’m only doing what’s best for your father!” You berate him, gesturing toward the Gryffindor male behind you.

“I know you are. It’s always ‘your father this’ and 'your father that’.” Jongdae sassily rolls his eyes and quotes the air with his fingers. “But what about me? This is supposed to be _MY_ life! What makes you think you have the right to dictate it?!”

You give the obvious answer. “I gave  ** _birth_**  to you. Do you not think you owe me and your father? What’s so hard about doing this one last thing for us? Why do you always have to  ** _fight?_** ” You ask him.

Jongdae shuts his mouth, and for some reason, you see genuine hurt in his eyes, like he’s seen this all before.

Quietly, he whispers, “Fine.” And walks backstage.

The silence lingers until your professor starts clapping, signaling the rest of the class to and everyone gives their applause. The Gryffindor male releases your shoulders and excitedly exclaims that you’re a better actor than he is, and is thrilled to be in the same class as you are.

But Jongdae doesn’t come back out, even as class resumes and the professor doesn’t say anything about it, strangely enough. When she finally calls a wrap an hour later, she pulls you aside and first congratulates you on your acting, then scolds you for being inconsiderate.

“Inconsiderate? What are you talking about?” You question. “What was I doing that was bad?”

She gives you a long look, trying to find the flaw in your acting, before she blinks and realizes that you aren’t. “You mean you don’t know?” She asks, and you shake your head, having no clue about what’s she saying. “Even though you’re with him?”

“Who, Jongdae?” You ask, glancing backstage again.

“I’m sorry then, please forget I said anything.” When you stare at her weirdly, she pats your shoulder apologetically. “Maybe you should go check on your boyfriend, yeah?” And then you watch her turn around, exiting the room.

Sincerely concerned for him, you follow the path you saw him take behind the drawn curtains and enter the prop room. It’s full of enchanted objects like self-sweeping mops and tap dancing boots, but you ignore it all and approach the curled up Jongdae.

Gingerly, you sit down close to him and lean your shoulder against his lightly, so he knows you’re there, and you hear him take a sharp breath before his head shoots up and he looks at you. You keep your gaze at the door though and say, “Hey.” When he doesn’t reply, you continue. “I said I’d treat you like a friend, so you don’t have to say anything. I just want to let you know that I’m here.”

You hear him sniffle and the shuffling of his cloak, and suddenly you’re yanked to the side and arms wrap around you tightly. Your breath catches when you realize Jongdae’s  ** _hugging_**  you, and he starts sobbing like a child.

Moving past your initial shock, you hug him back, letting him cry on your shoulder. You aren’t sure how long this exchange goes, but by the time he pulls away slowly, your arm aches from rubbing his back for so long.

His eyes are puffy and red, and his bangs are messed up from being squished against your shoulder. Tenderly, you brush them back to fix it and his already pink ears turn darker.

“I–” He opens his mouth, trying to say something to you but nothing comes out. You smile understandingly, catching him off guard.

“Like I said, you don’t have to say anything.” You shrug, gandering at the floor. “We can just pretend this never happened and go back to normal.” You say this despite your urge to question him, because you know prying into someone’s business is rude.

After a moment, he nods, and you help each other stand up before he wipes his eyes with his sleeves. “Um,” He stammers, blushing deeply. “Th-Thank you f-for that. I cleared my head a little.”

“No problem.” You reply, happy that you were able to make him feel better. “Let’s go.” You motion, and he grabs your hand as you turn around.

Before you can react, he keeps walking and you’re forced to follow him out of the room and down stage. “Will you call me by my first name from now on?” He asks when you’re out of the classroom.

“Why?” You ask curiously, and you see him blush again.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that–”

“Like what?” You cut him off, reminding him that you said you’d pretend it never happened. He stops walking, and so do you as he stares at you.

“Will you call me it anyways, instead of Kim? And can I call you _____ instead of Locke?”

 

 

 

 

_(Jongdae’s P.O.V)_

“Fine.” He whispers, then runs backstage to finish the act.

But it wasn’t just an act, that entire scene was him re-living the worst time of his life.

His father is the world’s most famous news reporter, who goes by the anonymous name of  _MIK JODI_. With the permission of the current headmaster, Jongdae was allowed to attend Hogwarts (even though he wasn’t a good enough wizard to), only if he worked as a spy for his father.

He’s been complaining to Jongdae’s mom about how there’s nothing special going on in the wizarding world anymore, not after the entire ordeal with You-Know-Who. The people are getting bored and want some drama in their life, and what better drama is there than family chaos?

The Locke family was the perfect thing to write about with their secretly adopted child, but if only it were more interesting… so on Jongdae’s first day, he wrote a letter to his father saying that you were not a Hufflepuff, like your siblings and parents, but a Slytherin. It caused quite a stir among the students, and his dad was positively elated.

 _“Get to know her better!”_  He wrote back.  _“Be her boyfriend.”_  Of course, Jongdae had to listen, because if he didn’t, he would be kicked out for having poor magic in his veins and he’d never get the opportunity to have the best education ever again.

And this act hit him harder than he planned it to, because you played your role too well and stirred up the most unpleasant part of his life. Can he even call it his? Ever since he was old enough to go to school, his parents have been making him do their dirty work, resulting in him having no real friends or buddies.

Even now, the other Hufflepuffs (though they don’t know about his quest) avoid him, because he’s different. He seems “standoff-ish”, “forced”, and the worst of all – “He’s dating that Slytherin girl”.

So when Jongdae ran into the prop room, he didn’t come out again. Instead, he cried out his pent up feelings because he’s never allowed to feel them around anyone else. Since he’s been told, he’s been hating nothing but one thing since he’s come to this school.

You.

You ruined his chance at life with your own, and although you didn’t turn out to be some rude asshole, it made it even worse. How could he possibly hate you when you were treating him so nicely? The stupid thing is, he can’t. He can’t hate you, and instead he start liking you, which only made him realize that he  ** _couldn’t_** , because if he did, his parents would manage to ruin it like they do every other relationship he’s had.

But then, he suddenly feels a weight against his shoulder, and when he lifts up his head from his knees, he’s sees… you.

“Hey,” You say softly, and Jongdae doesn’t even wipe away the wetness on his cheeks as he stares at you. “I said I’d treat you like a friend, so you don’t have to say anything. I just want to let you know that I’m here.”

Jongdae, having just made up his mind to not fall for you, does. Right then and there, he falls in love with you, and it’s so sudden and unexpected that he almost falls over when he scoots closer to you. And, without thinking, he pulls you into his arms and squeezes his eyes shut, crying pathetically.

His mission is for you to be this vulnerable with  ** _him_** , not the other way around, yet he can’t find the strength to do anything but cry. You and Yuri are the only people who’s treated him like a person, and he didn’t know it  ** _until_** then, but he likes it. He  ** _likes_**  having friends, and he can’t figure out how he survived this long without one.

You let him cry, without any judgment or pressure and it’s probably what makes him love you. You’re willing to be there for him, without asking any questions, out of care.

His eyes are puffy and red, and his bangs are messed up from being squished against your shoulder, but he pulls away to look at you suddenly. Tenderly, you brush his hair back to fix it and his already pink ears turn darker.

“I–” He opens his mouth, trying to say something to you but nothing comes out. You smile understandingly, catching him off guard.

“Like I said, you don’t have to say anything.” You shrug, gandering at the floor. “We can just pretend this never happened and go back to normal.” After a moment, he nods, and you help each other stand up before he wipes his eyes with his sleeves.

“Um,” He stammers, blushing deeply. “Th-Thank you f-for that. I cleared my head a little.”

“No problem.” You reply cheerfully. “Let’s go.” You motion, and he grabs your hand as you turn around. Before you can react, he keeps walking and you’re forced to follow him out of the room and down stage.

“Will you call me by my first name from now on?” He asks when you’re out of the classroom, avoiding your eye because he’s embarrassed for being so bold.

“Why?” You ask him, and he blushes again.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that–”

“Like what?” You cut him off, reminding him that you said you’d pretend it never happened. He stops walking, and so do you as he stares at you.

“Will you call me it anyways, instead of Kim? And can I call you _____ instead of Locke?”

You blink at him for a moment, cheeks turning pink. “Have we not already? I hadn’t noticed, I’m sorry.” You apologize, catching him off guard. “I was trying to be your friend, yet we’ve been being formal forever–”

“It’s fine.” He cuts you off, knowing you’ll ramble if he didn’t. “Just call me Jongdae from now on.” You nod sheepishly, blushing darkly for some reason before he remembers that he’s holding your hand. “Let’s go to the library, okay?” He asks hopefully, wanting to bring your mind off of it so he doesn’t have to feel so embarrassed.

“Actually, can we go to G Hall?” You quip, tilting your head. “There’s something interesting over there that I found.”

“Sure.” He smiles for the first time in the past hour, and he’s surprised by how easily it comes to him this time. It’s not acting anymore, he realizes. He wants to be your boyfriend, and he doesn’t know what to think of it.


	7. Hearth Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae finally gets to hear a little bit of your true feelings, and even though his heart is warm from your confession and his hands are from the fire, he still ends up making a mistake.

“So what’s so special about G Hall?” Jongdae quips curiously, because from the looks of it, there’s nothing interesting around here, just unused classrooms and untouched storage units.

“I told you, I found something.” You smile, still leading him by the hand. Jongdae starts to wonder if this gesture means as much to you as it does to him, but there’s no way he’ll ever ask. “Over here.” You say excitedly, tugging him into an empty storage room.

“What’s neat about this?” Your steps kick up the dust around your feet, and Jongdae wrinkles his nose to hold back a sneeze.

“Look at this.” You grin, releasing his hand and bending down to lift a box up. It looks heavy, and Jongdae’s arms reach out to help you, but you do it on your own and he’s impressed. “Oh, it’s actually here.” You mutter, eying the awkwardly placed floorboards.

“What do you mean by that?” He chuckles in surprise. “You didn’t even know it existed until now?” You shake your head, smiling at his laughter.

“Yuri told me there was a secret room she used to visit, but after her third year, she got bored of it.” While explaining this, you lift open the trap door and descend the wooden ladder. Jongdae has no choice but to follow you down to hear the rest of it. He closes the hatch to avoid being caught (because he’s sure this is against the rules) and when he lands on his feet again, he turns around and is taken aback by the room around him.

The room looks like the Hufflepuff common room, comfortable with sofas placed by a hearth and carpets in each of the house colors. Unlike the room above it, there’s no dust in this room, which means it must be enchanted to stay that way. He wonders if people used to frequent this room, or if it was never used by anyone but bored students, like Yuri, who happened to chance upon it.

“Cool, right?” You ask. He realizes you’re sitting by the hearth, not on the couches, but on the floor. Your presence started a small fire in it, casting your body in a orange glow. “Come on.” You pat the spot next to you, and Jongdae doesn’t wait to be told again.

He sits down beside you, closer than you anticipated, because his entire side is pressed against yours. You look at him, about to ask if that was necessary, but your breath catches in your throat when you realize the proximity of his face from yours.

He doesn’t miss this intake of air, and he looks at you in surprise before you look at the fire instead, not wanting to dwell on why your heart is beating so fast. “Can I tell you something?” You blurt, hoping the change of subject will distract from your embarrassment.

“Go ahead.” He says quietly, and you nod for no reason. “I owe you a listening ear anyways.” He chuckles, and you find yourself smiling.

“I…” You start softly, not entirely sure why you’re confessing this now. “…before school started, I was so sure I would become a Hufflepuff, like my parents.” For some reason, Jongdae tenses up beside you, but you assume you’re just imagining it and continue. “And when I was put with the Slytherins, I felt… scared.”

“Scared?” He asks, turning his head to look at you. You don’t look at him though, afraid you’d be too close.

“Yeah. I was different, and no one wanted to be around me.” Your brow furrows as you remember your feelings. “I was half-Hufflepuff to the Slytherins and, well, a Slytherin to the Hufflepuffs. Because of their odd treatment towards me, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws avoided me too.”

“But what about Yuri?” He questions, suddenly confused. “She’s your friend, right?”

You smile, laughing a little. “Yeah, she is. But that was… well, because of you.” Jongdae doesn’t know what that means, or what to say, so he stares at you, waiting. “I still don’t know why you decided to be with me, and I’m not trying to make you feel pressured to tell me,” You shake your head, so he knows you mean it. “It’s just, I’m glad you and Yuri are here now, because if you never showed up and declared you were my boyfriend, I don’t think I’d have any friends.”

The thought makes you drop your head into your arms pitifully, a stupid attempt of keeping the tears at bay. You never thought about all of this when you were alone, so saying it out loud to someone else made you feel vulnerable.

You continue anyways, despite your throat clenching uncomfortably.

 

 

 

 

_(Jongdae’s P.O.V)_

Ever since you dropped your head in your arms, he’s been wide-eyed and tight lipped, listening to your every word. He didn’t know that the unfair treatment affected you like this, because you never showed a weakness for it until now.

When you continue, you voice cracks but you don’t seem to care. “A-And this may sound stupid, but I’m also glad you chose me, of all the prettier girls in our school, to pretend to date.” Though he can’t see your face, you turn your head away from him anyways. “I wasn’t expecting to fall for you, but I did.”

It’s at this moment that Jongdae realizes that he can’t keep acting. He can’t help his father anymore, even if it meant he’d have to leave Hogwarts. There’s no way he’d be able to, knowing you genuinely like him the way he likes you.

Hesitantly, he puts his arm around your shoulder and leans his head on yours, and he hears your surprised gasp when he reaches around with his other arm and hugs you. “I don’t think I’ll ever tell you why I became your boyfriend, _____,” He admits regretfully, but he’d rather you be angry at him for that than know the truth. “But I’m glad it was you, too.”

The two of you stay in that position for a few minutes, you trying to calm your racing heart and Jongdae his, because this is the first time you’ve both been open with each other on your own (and not through acting). The fire in the hearth keeps you both warm, seeming to detect the sudden mood change, and it gives you the strength to lift your head up and look at Jongdae.

When he looks at you, too, he smiles, and you’ve never seen him look so sincere. You’re so taken aback that you don’t react when his hand reaches up and wipes away the wetness on your cheeks, before leaning forward and kissing it gently.

“I like you.” He says, and now that he’s said it aloud, it becomes official in Jongdae’s heart.

He’s going to stop acting as your boyfriend, and be your real one from now on.

You’re staring at him in shock, and your cheeks slowly turn a bright pink as you realize what he just did. Your hand flies up to cover your cheek, and you look away bashfully. “I can’t believe you..!” You mutter shyly, and Jongdae hums in question. “How could you make my heart beat this fast, I don’t get it!” You cover your entire face this time, wiggling in embarrassment as he chuckles.

 

 

 

 

_Dear Father,_

_I’m sorry to bring the news to you, but there’s nothing interesting about _____ Locke like you suspected. She’s just an ordinary girl and I find no point in furthering the research._

_I will stop acting for you and begin my life as a normal student at Hogwarts, like you promised I could when this was over. Please understand that I tried my best, but your assumptions turned up empty-handed, therefore my artificial love for her was useless._

_Thank you for giving me the opportunity to study at the best school, I’ll make you proud._

_Sincerely,  
Jongdae_

He folds and encloses it in an envelope before shoving it into his cloak pocket, readying himself for dinner. He wonders if he’ll get the negative response he’s expecting, but finds that doesn’t really care as long as he can be with you without worries.

But as dinner ends and he’s walking off to the Hufflepuff common room, the envelope escapes his pocket and falls into the hands of the last person he wants to see it.

You.


	8. Yuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your back to hating Jongdae's existence, and he's back to hating yours. Though, Yuri has a plan to make all that change.

The next morning, when the owls all fly into the mess hall and Jongdae reaches into his pocket, he realizes his letter is missing. He frantically digs into it, trying to find something to grab on even though there’s nothing.

He vaguely hears Yuri exclaiming something about the gift her parents sent her, but is in a frenzy that causes her to notice. “What’s wrong Jongdae?” She asks, and he bites his tongue to keep from swearing.

“I have a letter to send back home, but I seem to have lost it.” He tells her, and he sees your head turn to look at him. He purposely avoids your eye, wishing dearly that you didn’t ask the contents of it, and thankfully you don’t.

Instead, you ask, “You mean this one?” And to his horror, you pull it out of your own pocket, handing it to him to inspect. It’s open, and he knows you sifted through it at some point. “I found it yesterday on the floor, and I didn’t know who’s it was until I peaked at it.” You smile guiltily, and Jongdae has no idea why you’re acting this way.

Unless you found someone else’s letter, you should be fuming right now. But when he looks at the words written on the parchment by none other than his quill, he’s left boggled at your nonchalant behavior towards his secret.

Making sure the envelope was secure, he attaches it to his owl’s leg while anxiously awaiting your outburst, but it never happens and he guiltily makes awkward conversation with you and Yuri the rest of the meal.

It’s not until classes start the next day, when Yuri has to part ways with you both, that you finally show signs of cracking.

“Don’t talk to me today.” You mutter bitterly to him, pushing past him the moment Yuri’s out of sight. “In fact, don’t talk to me, ever.” You add over your shoulder, and Jongdae runs to catch up with you.

“Wait, is this about–”

“What else would it be about, Kim?!” You whip around angrily, and he blinks with hurt when you refer to him with his last name. “Do you think I’m your play thing? You can’t just toy with my feelings however you want and expect me to allow it.” When he doesn’t say anything, you shake your head, scoffing. “I knew it was too good to be true.” And then you walk off, and Jongdae has no other choice but to let you.

He’s the one in the wrong here, and he knows it. What else can he do but let you vent? Maybe after a few hours, it’ll all smooth over and you’ll forgive him. Or at least let him talk to you and explain it.

But all day you avoid him, even during lunch you leave early for the library so you don’t have to look at him. Yuri asks if something’s up with you two, but Jongdae just shrugs and vaguely comments on how you’re not talking to him. He knows you’re still acting in front of Yuri, so he decides to leave her in the dark about it, too.

 

 

 

 

_(Your P.O.V)_

During dinner, you can’t stand the thought of him sitting next to you, so you trade seats with Yuri (and somehow avoid answering all of her prying questions). Jongdae keeps glancing at you and making flirty comments your way, to which you sarcastically smile at and reply with equally sappy things.

Every time you say them, he looks more and more pained, but you know better now. Heck, you should have known before! He’s in your acting class, of course he can pull off being in a relationship with  ** _you_** , a needy, lonely girl who thought she was special.

Even though Yuri hasn’t said anything to you, you feel like maybe she knew about it all, too. She was awfully accepting of your relationship when she found out, and–

Instantly, you stop yourself. Yuri hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s all Jongdae’s fault; he’s even making you doubt your only friend.

After your meal, you try your best to leave first so you don’t accidentally get in any awkward situations (like having to hang out with the both of them), but Jongdae laces his fingers in yours while you’re walking out and try not to barf. Yuri explains to the both of you that she has to get started on a project today, so she’ll have to ditch you (“But you wouldn’t mind that, would you?” She teases.), and you feel Jongdae squeeze your hand as she walks away.

The moment she’s gone you yank your hand away and scowl at him. “Don’t touch me.” You say, and he crosses his arms stubbornly.

“Let me explain.” He says, but you shake your head, wanting none of it.

“I don’t care what you have to say.” You mutter under your breath. “None of it is going to be genuine anyways.” He whines, catching you off guard and when you watch his face, you think you see desperation.

“_____, you’re treating me like an object again.” He complains. “What about how I feel? Didn’t that used to matter?” And then your blood is boiling again.

“Excuse me?” You snap, and he flinches at your tone. “What about  ** _my_**  feelings? The ones that  ** _you_**  were using for your own personal benefit!” You make an exasperated noise and look away from him, unable to see his face without wanting to break it. “I will never forgive you.” You whisper.

“Fine, I don’t need your forgiveness, _____. Just let me tell you how it really was–”

“No.” You cut him off, glaring at him. “From today on, you’re out of my life. Don’t come sit with me and Yuri ever again.”

It’s the last thing you say to him before you stomp off, and Jongdae, instead of what he initially expected, is livid. You won’t even let him speak? What happened the girl he thought he fell in love with? The one who listened to his worries without overwhelming him, and the one whom he comforted when you cried?

 _Obviously she’s gone_ , he thinks to himself as he turns to stomp the other way.

 

 

 

 

Yuri, after seeing that Jongdae isn’t sitting with you two the next day, realizes that something is very off. You both seemed totally fake the other day when she tried asking about things, and now it’s more evident than ever.

You fought about something, and Yuri decides that it’s up to her to fix this mess. “Why is Jongdae sitting at the Hufflepuff table?” She asks you, and you immediately shrug, poking at your food. “Did you two fight?” She asks more gently, and you look up at her finally.

“Yeah. We’re not dating anymore.” You declare, and it shocks her so much that she drops her silverware onto her plate, making it clang loudly.

“No way!” She stammers. “Tell me it’s not your fault.” She says sternly.

“It’s definitely  ** _not_**  my fault.” You reassure her, stabbing your meat. “I was just stuck in a daydream, Yuri. He’s not the kind of guy we thought he was. He’s ruthless,” You stab your meat again. “Heartless,” Again. “and a fucking asshole.” Yuri’s sure your meat would appreciate it if you stopped implaing it, so she grabs your wrist and looks at you seriously.

“_____, do you want to talk about it?” She asks softly, and you shake your head.

“I just want to forget it ever happened.” You say sullenly, and Yuri can’t help but pity you. How could this have happened?! What did she possibly miss that was so crucial?

Yuri has never been one to stand down from something she firmly believed in, and your relationship is one of them. The way you two acted around each other at first seemed awkward and obviously forced, but she never said anything because you were trying so hard to convince her. But after a little bit, you started speaking and smiling genuinely with him, and it was something not only she noticed. Many students in her year (fourth) approached her about your strange relationship, and how they thought it was kind of cool how a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff could make it work.

How could she let such a sincere moment pass?

Immediately, her mind reels for a plan to make things better between you two, and finally something dawns on her.

Calm now, she releases your wrist and tells you, “Okay.” before going back to her own food. “How about we have a girl’s day then? Just you and me, to forget about all of the stupid boys in our lives?” Yuri doesn’t have one herself, but she’s willing to pretend.

You seem to cave at the idea of relaxing, and nod your head gratefully. You give her the first real smile she’s seen today and she smiles back.

Should she feel guilty for setting you up like this?


	9. Alohomora My Heart

You’re up first thing in the morning, giddy about spending some girl time with Yuri. When she finally wakes up and realizes you’ve been up for hours, she scolds you about needing your sleep but pats your shoulder affectionately as she leaves to get ready herself.

“So what did you have in mind?” You ask her as she leads you out of the Slytherin common room. Not many are up at this hour (9:00 AM), since it’s the weekend and students want to sleep in before having to work on their homework.

Breakfast is being served, you know because you can smell it as you walk past the mess hall, and though you desperately want to fill your stomach, Yuri leads you away and towards the end of the castle where the classrooms are.

“Are we going to class or something?” You laugh in disbelief, because you trusted Yuri to take your mind off of Jongdae without the help of others. She doesn’t reply, and instead keeps leading you down hallways until you realize you don’t know where you’re at. “Where are we going?” This time, she simply smiles at you over her shoulder before stopping in front of a wall.

“Here we are.” She exclaims, opening up her arms and presenting to you it’s bare expanse. You stare it, waiting for something spectacular and gaining nothing.

“What are you trying to show me?” You ask, unsure if Yuri’s awake enough to think properly.

“Look, look, just cast the spell already.” She urges you, and you gape at her in horror.

“No!” You whisper fervently. “We’re not allowed to cast magic outside of classes!” She clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes at you.

“Do you really think anyone follows that rule?” She asks you, but when you cross your arms adamantly she becomes restless. “_____, Harry Potter himself did great things by breaking school rules, remember?” She says, and you nod your head.

“Of course I remember.” You chide. Who doesn’t know about that hero? Though you’ve only learned about him in your textbooks and childhood bedtime stories, you feel like you know him quite well.

“Then go ahead.” She motions towards the wall. “Open the door.” After a few more seconds of reluctance, you finally pull out your wand and hold it at arm’s length.

“ _Alohomora._ ” You say, and immediately the wall starts to shake. Yuri clamps her hands on your shoulders excitedly, urging you in front of her so you can enter first.

As the opening widens, you indeed walk inside first, barely noticing Yuri’s hands leaving you until you freeze in your spot at the doorway. Wide brown eyes gaze back into yours, and you both look at Yuri at the same time.

“Why the hell is Locke here?”

“Why the hell is Kim here?”

You blink at each other for a second before turning back to glare at Yuri. “Have fun.” She waves, and before you can stop it, the wall closes back up without her and you’re stuck in this room with your worst enemy.

You round on him instead, your anger flaring immensely. “You asked her to do this, didn’t you?” You say, stalking towards him predatorily and jabbing your finger into his chest. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”

“I didn’t ask for this!” He argues snarkily, grabbing your wrist and swinging your hand away from him. “She asked to meet me here, and I’m just as angry as you are that we’re in the same room.” You’re offended by his words, and turn around so he can’t see it.

“ _Alohomora!_ ” You say, pointing your wand at the door again but nothing happens.

“It’s useless.” Jongdae mutters behind you. “Yuri said this room can only be opened from the outside. You look at him in horror.

"You mean we’re stuck here?” You ask him. “Together?” You add in a whisper. He purses his lips unpleasantly at your question, but nods his head nonetheless. “Yuri!” You shout at the wall suddenly. “You’re going to pay for this, you hear me!?”

“Yelling won’t help either.” Jongdae muses, and you look at him again. “This place is soundproof.”

“Did none of those facts scream ’ _trap_ ’ to you?” You question sardonically, then stop yourself from continuing because– can you really call him an idiot for not noticing? You’re the one who let him through your walls, and that trap was more obvious than anything.

Jongdae catches the shift in your mood and watches you closely, which makes you uncomfortable so you turn away again. “Why do you think Yuri would do this?” He blurts suddenly, and you’re so shocked that he’s trying to talk to you still that you glance at him.

“I don’t know, I don’t read minds.” You reply, stepping backwards when he walks closer.

“She wants us to make up.” He says when you don’t seem to get it.

After a minute, you still don’t get it, because Yuri told you she’d help you forget, not remind you of your mistake. “That can’t be it.” You immediately shake your head and he scoffs at your resilience to ignore him.

“_____, if you’d just listen to what I have to say–”

“No, shut. Up.” You answer angrily, hands fisting in your cloak to stop them from curling around his neck. “I told you to never talk to me again, and in a life or death situation, that still goes.” He rolls his eyes at you, clearly not taking you seriously.

“Well, too bad, because you need to know.” He saunters up to you and you stand still, expecting him to stop in front of you, but when he doesn’t you start backpedaling until you hit the wall. His hands move on either side of you and his intense stare makes you freeze up inside. “You’re right, I played you.” He says softly, and the feelings you were trying to hold back since you found out decide to finally surface.

Tears well up in your eyes and you clench your jaw to stop them. They fall anyways and you look down at your feet, angry and humiliated that you’re cornered and can’t run away. You lightly hit his shoulder with your fist and he simply watches you cry.

“How could you..?” You whisper brokenly. “I liked you back.” You continue. “I trusted you.” Jongdae’s heart clenches at your words, but he stays silent and lets you talk. “No one treated me like you did, and it was all a fucking–” Your sentence gets caught off when he kisses your forehead, and you blink up at him unexpectedly.

“I did lie to you.” He reiterates, holding your gaze. “But like you, I fell for you along the way.” He says, referencing to your confession by the hearth. “What you read in my letter was just me telling my father I won’t pretend anymore, because I don’t want to act as your boyfriend anymore.” He pauses for a moment, looking at the way you’re listening. “I want to be your real boyfriend, _____.”

Suddenly, before either of you can realize it, the wall behind your back splits open again and you both fall forwards, him landing on top of you awkwardly.

“Oooh?” A slippery voice sounds above you, and when you both look up to Yuri’s smirking face, Jongdae doesn’t find it in him to stop you from grabbing her leg and tripping her.

“Who do you think you are?” You shake her while still underneath Jongdae. “Trying to kill us in there!”

“Doesn’t look like much killing went on.” She drawls amusedly, eying your position. When you blush, Jongdae moves off of you before also getting his revenge by flicking Yuri in the shoulder. She only rubs it a little before saying, “Here. Let me see if you made up.”

She drops the love ball into your hands and you look at her in disbelief, but she urges you to do it so you obey. You think of Jongdae, and remember his words in the magic room.

To your astonishment, he fog turns pink. “Does that mean you forgive me?” Jongdae asks you when you look at him in surprise, and when you can’t find any reason to distrust him, you nod.

Smiling, he takes the ball and waits for it to return to its normal grey color. You wait in anticipation, staring at the misty contents until you see it start turning a light color.

“I told you it’s not broken.” Yuri says pridefully when it turns fully pink. To her surprise, she watches you grab the collar of Jongdae’s cloak and yank him forward into a tight hug. She wiggles her eyebrows playfully when Jongdae makes shy eye contact with her, and he sticks his tongue out in retaliation.

When you pull away, you look him in the eye seriously. “Why did your dad want to investigate me?” It suddenly hits you that your personal information was wanted in that letter, and you don’t know why you didn’t worry about it before.

“Well…” Jongdae says uncomfortably, because he purposely didn’t mention it. “I didn’t want to tell you because you don’t seem to know, and it’s not really my secret to tell.” You have no idea what that means, and he pats your head apologetically. “Ask your parents about your middle name.” He says finally.

“I don’t have a middle name.” You quarry, but he shrugs at you.

“If you want to know, then send them a letter during breakfast.” Your eyes widen and you look at them both in pain.

“Breakfast!” You exclaim, clutching your stomach. “I haven’t eaten yet..”

“It’s still going on.” Yuri says, pulling a sponge cake out of her cloak pocket. She waves it in your face teasingly and says, “Let’s go eat and then you can send your letter.”

As you all get off the floor with a destination in mind, Jongdae holds out his hand hesitantly, but smiles when you take it. The three of you walk to the mess hall and they help you scrawl a quick note to send to your parents just as the owls fly in. Yours is the last to leave and it nips at your hair in aggravation before it swoops out of the castle windows.

“You still mad at me?” Yuri asks when Jongdae becomes preoccupied with his meal. She looks at you worriedly, like she was genuinely concerned she overstepped your boundaries. Sarcastically, you nod your head. She gasps in equally sarcastic horror, before you both laugh and you tell her you’re not. “Good, otherwise I would have to keep teasing you.”

“Oh, shush.” You reply.


	10. Slytherin and Hufflepuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally find out about your past and Jongdae is finally released of all responsibilities from his parents. Maybe you two will have a happy ending after all?

When the owls fly into the mess hall the next morning, you’re surprised to already have a response from your parents.

_Dear _____,_

_Our precious daughter, we are truly sorry for withholding this information from you until now. We don’t know who told you about your middle name, but no matter how you figured it out, you were bound to hear the truth from us eventually._

_You’re adopted. Since we had to change your family name to Locke in the Official Wizards and Witches Birth Certificate Organization, we made your last name into your middle name. Luckovich._

Jongdae watches your reaction as you read this, but you don’t show any emotion on your face. Unsure of what that means, his hand hovers over your lower back in case you needed comforting.

_We heard the news from your brother and sister. Congratulations on being a Slytherin! It’s just like your real mother and father. That’s right, you come from a Slytherin family. You must be having a hard time believing this, since you’re so much like a Hufflpuff._

_But your father and I believe in something called nature and nurture. You may be a Slytherin at heart, but you were raised a Puff, therefore share the same values._

You finally show some inkling of a reaction by letting out a small air of breath. Jongdae’s confused as to why, until he keeps reading.

_Your real parents entrusted us as your godparents in case something ever happened to them. As Laurels, they took on dangerous jobs their entire career. Unfortunately, they died on a mission when you were only a few months old. They were very close friends of your father and I, so we looked after you a lot the moment you were born._

_We’re sorry we couldn’t tell you all of this in person. We miss you dearly. Please keep sending us letters! Tell us about your school life; we’ve yet to hear from our youngest child._

_Even though you were born into our family, it doesn’t make you any less of a Locke than the rest of us._

_We love you,_

_Mr. and Mrs. Locke_

_(P.S.) If you’re feeling up to it, we have photos of your parents at home that we can send you._

Yuri and Jongdae examine you quietly, not uttering a word as you reread the letter over and over, trying to soak it all in. When you finally fold the letter and set it on the table, Jongdae looks at you expectantly. “Well?”

“'Well’?” You repeat, scoffing and surprising him. “What do you mean, 'well’? How am I supposed to react to this?” At the end of your sentence, your voice cracks and Yuri and Jongdae both realize something’s wrong. You cover your mouth, glaring hard at your lap and inhaling sharply. “I’m adopted… but I can’t even meet my real parents.”

Jongdae can only imagine what that feels like, which he’s sure is only a fraction of what you actually feel. Yuri pulls you into a tight hug and Jongdae rubs your back. What can they do other than tell you it’ll be fine?

“Look, your parents passed doing something noble.” Yuri says adamantly, making you face her. “That’s more than I can say about mine.” When you blink at her in confusion, you realize that Yuri never talked to you about her family much. She smiles sadly at your bewildered stare and continues. “My parents were followers of You-Know-Who, even though he’s dead and in the past.” She confesses shamefully, and you and Jongdae both gasp at the same time. “It took me four years to finally make a real friend, and do you know who that is?”

She gently ruffles your hair and her smile widens. “Me?” You murmur in astonishment. “But you’re so amazing! How could people avoid you?”

“Same reason they avoid you two.” She shrugs, and Jongdae has the audacity to look offended. Yuri gives him a pointed look. “Come on, we already the Puffs don’t like you Kim.” She looks at you two judgingly. “It’s because you’re both so dang mysterious! People don’t know spell about Jongdae, and people don’t know what’s up with your House.” She says to Jongdae, and then you.

“Yuri!” You exclaim, laughing suddenly. She’s so blunt about it that it catches you off guard.

“I’m being serious.” She crosses her arms.

“Some friend.” Jongdae jokes, shoveling a bite of food into his mouth. Halfway through his bite, something hits him like a sack of bricks and he chokes on his food when he turns to you. “–_____!” He coughs, covering his mouth politely but looking at you urgently. “What did they say your middle name was?”

“It’s Luckovich.” You utter slowly, watching his strange reaction. His features contort from happy, to sad, and finally to frustration and he holds his head in his hands as he groans.

“I am such an idiot.” He murmurs, and Yuri looks between you two worriedly. You shrug, not knowing what his reaction means either. “My mother and father… were friends with your parents. Your  ** _real_**  ones, I mean.” He mutters irritably. “He must know the Locke’s, too, then.”

“Wait, who’s your dad, Kim?” Yuri asks suspiciously. “Now that I think about it, you kind of look like  _MIK JODI_ …”

“Who’s that?” Yuri snaps, gasping and pointing at Jongdae’s unpleasant expression.

“You’re his  ** _son_** , aren’t you? I get it now, the anonymous reporter:  _MIK_ , for  ** _Kim_** , and  _JODI_  for…” Yuri’s wrinkles her nose. “What does  _JODI_  mean?”

“It means none-of-your-business. My dad’s alias isn’t something I can disclose, even to a friend.” He says just as stubbornly. “Yes, I’m his son. That’s why I approached _____. My dad wanted to know why she was different from her family– or at least, that’s what I  ** _thought_**  he wanted.” Jongdae shakes his head again, looking even more upset. “What the heck was he playing at? He  ** _must_**  know about your heritage, but why would he send me here?”

This whole time you’re staring at Jongdae, because did he really…? “Did you just say you pretended to be my boyfriend because your dad told you to?” You ask in disbelief, and Jongdae seems to realize what he said aloud, watching you in horror.

“Wait, what? You guys aren’t really dating?” Yuri asks, just as shocked as you look.

“No, we’re dating.” Jongdae clarifies, but it only makes Yuri more confused. “We just… weren’t in the beginning.”

Suddenly, you laugh, and it makes Jongdae skin crawl. “Wow. Your reason is a lot less… dramatic than I was expecting it to be, if I’m honest.” You chuckle. “I was expecting me to burst into tears when I found out.” Jongdae quickly slips his hand in yours at this and kisses the back of your palm, making you blush.

“I wouldn’t ever purposely hurt you– under normal circumstances.” You both share a laugh. In a flash, Yuri is turning you around to face her and you’ve never seen someone look so happy yet offended at the same time.

“If you two were faking it, does that mean I was right about you being alone on the first day?” You roll your eyes, not caring about looking helpless anymore because you’re not.

“Yes, you were right, Yuri.” You tell her, and she whoops in triumph, giving herself a congratulatory bite of her food.

 

 

 

 

You managed to convince the painting in front of the Hufflepuff common room to let you and Yuri in, and Jongdae led you to what he claims is “the comfiest spot in the whole damn place”. Turns out, it’s just a couch that looks like it lost all of its springs, and when you sit on it, you note that’s what it feels like, too.

“The holidays are coming.” Yuri says after an older Hufflepuff sends her a strange look. “Are you two going home or staying here?”

“We can stay here?” You ask her in amazement, to which she nods.

“I’m going home.” Jongdae tells you both, sitting in between you and sighing. “I have a lot of questions for my father. About everything.” He mumbles. Then his brow furrows and his earlier anger returns. “I mean, why didn’t he just tell me he knew who you were from the beginning? I’m going to–” Jongdae explained what he would “do” to his father, which was too crude for you to listen to.

“Good,” You say after he’s done ranting. “Then we can both get mad at our parents for withholding information from us.” Childishly, he grabs your hand and holds it in the air.

“Together.” He says seriously, making Yuri laugh.

“You’re both too strict.” She says. “Cut them some slack. I mean, they may have reasons for doing what they did, or didn’t do in this case, and you may not understand them but they’re still your parents. Remember that they know a lot more about everything than you do.”

In most cases, you tend to avoid the side of logic and go for what your feelings tell you, but Yuri’s right about this and you can’t find yourself to ignore it. “You’re right.” Jongdae says, surprising you and putting your hand down. “But I’m still mad.”

“Ditto.” You reply.

 

 

 

 

When you depart from the Hogwarts express train with your siblings, Yuri and her siblings, and finally Jongdae, your parents are already waiting for you all. Before you branch off, Jongdae grabs your hand and pulls you into a hug. You’re so shocked by the bold gesture that you barely hug him back before he pulls back and grins at you.

“Send me letters.” He says to you. Only to you. He touches your hair gently, and you find yourself blushing despite trying not to.

“Of course I will.” You say, putting your index finger on his chest. “ ** _You_**  tell me how your talk goes with your dad.”

“And you with yours.” Those are your last words to each other. After that you part ways and use floo powder to go home with your family. The moment you’re alone with them your siblings ask you if he was really your boyfriend, why you were a Slytherin, and that they’re so sorry for ignoring you since school started.

You stare at them incredulously, not accepting their apology but deciding to turn the attention elsewhere. “I’m a Slytherin, yes…” You start, eying your parents patiently. “..but that’s something for mom and dad to explain, not me.”

They can clearly see you didn’t take it too well, but the truth is that you weren’t too bummed about it. Besides the fact that you’d never meet your true parents, you know they died doing something heroic, like Yuri said. Your parents said they had pictures with them in it, and it’ll almost be like they’re alive again when you see them.

And if none of this happened, then you wouldn’t have met Jongdae. Or been friends with Yuri, for that matter (and  ** _that’s_**  what scared you the most). In the end, fate played out the way it was meant to.


End file.
